1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital camera equipped with a so-called direct printing function, which enables printing shot images only by directly connecting a printing device thereto.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a lot of digital cameras and printing devices equipped with a direct printing function have been introduced to the market. By using both the digital camera and printing device, which are equipped with this function, a user can print shot images easily without using a PC (Personal Computer).
FIG. 9 is a view explaining the overall action of direct printing in the case in which a digital camera and a printing device equipped with the direct printing function are directly connected to each other.
As shown in FIG. 9, when the digital camera (DSC) and the printing device (PRT) are directly connected to each other, the PRT first sends a direct printing connection request to the DSC to determine whether or not the DSC is equipped with a direct printing function (S61). In response to the request, the DSC notifies the PRT that the DSC is equipped with the direct printing function by sending a direct printing connection response (S62).
Subsequently, the DSC sends a printing function acquisition request to the PRT in order to acquire printing functions supported by the PRT (S63). In response to the request, the PRT notifies the DSC of the functions that the PRT supports (S64).
For the functions supported by the PRT, various modes, such as a one-frame printing, an all-frame printing, an index printing, a multiple printing may be included.
Subsequently, the DSC sends a printing paper size acquisition request to the PRT in order to acquire the size of printing papers (the size of printing mediums) supported by the PRT (S65). In response to the request, the PRT notifies the DSC of the sizes of printing paper the PRT supports (S66).
Subsequently, the DSC sends a Paper Quality acquisition request to the PRT in order to acquire the quality of papers (“PaperQuality”, the quality of printing mediums) supported by the PRT (S67). In response to the request, the PRT notifies the DSC of the qualities of paper that the PRT supports (S68).
Subsequently, the DSC designates the kind of printing and the images to be printed to the PRT according to an instruction by a user (S69). The PRT responds to the instruction (S70), and also the PRT sends the DSC a printing image data acquisition request in order to acquire the image data of the images to be printed (S71). In response to the request, the DSC sends the image data to the PRT according to the request (S72). In this instance, if a plurality of images are designated in S69, steps in S71 and S72 are repeated for each image. Then, when the PRT acquires all the necessary image data for printing, the PRT performs a printing process (S73), and actually prints the images to the printing paper.
FIGS. 10A to 10C are views explaining examples of printing results of the direct printing. For example, in the case where four shot images, A, B, C and D, are recorded in a storage portion of the digital camera, as shown in FIG. 10A, if the index printing is performed, the four shot images are arranged and printed on a piece of printing paper, as shown in FIG. 10B. Otherwise, if the multiple printing of the shot image A is performed, a plurality of (four in this example) the shot images A are arranged and printed on a piece of printing paper, as shown in FIG. 10C.
Incidentally, the index printing is a printing method for displaying a plurality of images on a printing medium. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-236507 discloses an image file storage method in which a plurality of images are displayed as one synthetic image by generating a synthetic image in which a plurality of images are arranged.
However, various printing functions which are supported by the equipped direct printing functions but not supported by both the digital camera and the printing device cannot be used. For example, even if a digital camera supports printing modes such as the index printing and the multiple printing, but a printing device does not support them, the index printing or the multiple printing cannot be performed even though the digital camera and the printing device are connected to each other.